The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-08-10
Gambling.

Keno is popular game simply be-
cause it is so rapid and so cheap. At
ten cents a chance almost any one can
play. Keno is just the game for youth,
and the practical gambler despises
such small business; besides this, he
can see with half an eye that the
chances are usually heavy against the
player. Thus if in faro the bank has
six out of ten, in keno it has seven or
eight. 1t may be readily seen that
keno holes will abound in great city,
and in some localities they may be
found side by side In great array.
Among the devotees of keno are often
found students from the country who
have come TO attend lectures. They
are In some cases supported by the
self-denying economy of parents and
even sisters, and could the latter be-
. hold the object of their affection
squandering his money at the keno
table, how great would be the agony
1t is well that so painful spectacle is
spared them. AS for faro, the term is
al abbreviation of Pharaoh, whose
face was formerly on one of the cards.
l he leading player is called the pun
tCi, "hu thio 10 ouSbOoVoi ~ OPo
lines:
Wretch that am, how often have I swore
When Winnell Tailed would punt no more !;
know the bait, yet to my ruin run,
And see the folly which can not shun.
Speaking of the times of Pope, re-
Gently opened an old volume of the
Gc1ltlCmd11's Magazine and read the
following description of the game as it
was once played a century and half
ago:
First, an operator who deals the
cards for the purpose of cheating; also
two crowpers (croupier) who watch the
cards and gather the money for the
bank Then there are two "puffs, who
have money given them to play with
and thus decoy others to try; also a
bully. who is to fight any gentleman
who is peevish at losing his money.
Then there is the Waterman who walks
up and down and alarms the house on
the approach of constable"
Such is the brief statement of gam
ing in London in the days of Pope.
Hogarth gives a very powerful scene in
O gaming house, being a part of the
"Rake's PROCESS" How many rakes
have been ruined since then is beyond
all calculation.
Cards are supposed to be of Asiatic
origin. Chinese cards have three suits,
each of nine cards. 1t is supposed that
they were introduced into Europe by
Arabs and Saracens before the thir-
teenth century. The first historic ref
erence is found in Augsburg. whose
records give the fact that in 1915 King
Rudolph amused himself with game
ut cards. The most eminent card man
facturer in France in the sixteenth CEN
fury was Nato, and soon afterward the
business was established in England. 1t
is said that the marks in the suits of
cards were intended to represent four
classes in society-hearts representing
the clergy, spades (from spada, a sword)
the nobility, diamonds the citizens, and
clubs the serfs There ought to be one
more especially to represent the dupes.
The most famous of London gamblers
was Crockford, whose "hell" sometimes
witnessed the exchange of half n million
sterling in one night. Byron says that
he was asked by an acquaintance where
he, the latter, would be found of er
death. The poet promptly replied il
silver hell, which was a popular gaming
resort of that day. Byron says he mar
rowly escaped a challenge for his keen
retort.-HdrtOrd Post.